More than twenty years ago, I was juggling a demanding job, a long commute, and the needs of two teenagers. My husband was often traveling on business, and my father had just unexpectedly died. I was, to say the least, a bit overwhelmed.

Acknowledging my own mortality (for probably the first time) and concerned that things might be slipping through the cracks, I decided to come up with a better way of taking care of our family's financial paperwork and so created a system I jokingly called the "Drop Dead Book."

The beginning

I started by gathering all the important documents I could find and then organized them in a big binder. Soon the binder was crammed full, so I created spreadsheets in which I recorded just a summary of the important information, allowing me to return many of the documents to my filing cabinet.

That's when I noticed something interesting: as I wrote down the important stuff, I was actually learning more about the information in the document. For example, it had been years since I had really looked at our insurance policies, but then I noticed that we were paying more than we probably needed to. 

How my Go-To Guide has helped

I was surprised at how often this binder came in handy – at least a few times each month, sometimes just to look up my credit card information. It alerted me to important gaps that needed filling, like having updated wills and advance medical directives, as well as less important but convenient things, like a soon-to-expire passport.

It was helpful when my credit card went missing and I had to update all my recurring payments with the new card number. But I think I appreciated it the most as I lay groaning on the couch and needed my husband to know how to reach my doctor after-hours!

Planning for the future

Over the years, I have found that my binder has made it easier to talk with my husband about big-picture things, such as what we wanted our lives to look like down the road when the kids were gone or when we were finally retired. 

Sitting together on the couch looking at a binder together (kind of like looking at a photo album), we were able to talk about stuff that mattered to us. It was also a nice break from the computer screens that dominated our waking hours.

Sharing with others

I knew I had something of value here and wanted to share it with others, but soon realized that the "Drop Dead Book" needed a friendlier name. I wanted something that reflected both how my family might end up using the book in the future as well as how I was currently using the book, which was as an everyday handy reference. Thus the Go-To Guide. 

Since then, based on my experiences assisting others, I've revised the Go-To Guide to include a broader range of life circumstances and to adjust to the requirements of our internet-based, transactional age. 

With everything going paperless, there are often no statements in the files to help other family members (or an executor) figure out where the assets are or what bills need to be paid. Getting online access to accounts, even logging on to the computer or accessing a smartphone is often very difficult, if it's even possible.

And the only thing certain is that it won't get easier as time goes on. 

Enjoying peace of mind

Having a Go-To Guide gives me peace of mind, and I know that if something happens to me, a family member or executor could easily step in and not miss a beat.

And that helps me sleep at night.

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